Distribution apparatus, receiving apparatus tree-type distribution system, and information processing method etc.

ABSTRACT

It is the object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus, a tree-type network system, processing program and recording method that are capable of performing requests to a higher-order apparatus at the same time, while reducing the load that is concentrated in the communication path upstream in the network. One node apparatus which is provided with tree-type network system including broadcasting apparatus sending inquiry information as request-reception-begin data etc. for requesting sending response message as select-node information etc. to a plurality of node apparatus, receiving inquiry information that is sent from other processing apparatus that is connected in a higher-order layer above the processing apparatus, transferring to other processing apparatuses that are connected in a lower-order layer below the processing apparatus, receiving the reply-result information that is sent from other processing apparatus, creating its reply-result information based on own processing apparatus, and replying created reply-result information based on reply information included in reply-result-information and created reply information to other processing apparatus that is connected in a higher-order layer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a processing apparatus or the like in aPeer-to-Peer (P2P) type network system that transmits reply informationto a highest-order apparatus in response to an inquiry from thathighest-order apparatus.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

This system is a so-called Peer-to-Peer type data contents distributionsystem, and it differs from a client-server type data contentsdistribution system in that data contents that are distributed bystreaming are transmitted or received between node apparatuses asclients.

A distribution system for stream data is disclosed in patent document 1as an example of this kind of system, and in that system, each nodeapparatus has topology information for identifying the networkconnection relationship, and by using the topology information, eachnode apparatus is able to connect to an identified upstream(higher-order) node apparatus, receive stream data that is transmittedfrom that upstream node apparatus, and transfer (relay) that stream datato a downstream (lower-order) node apparatus. By doing this, it ispossible to prevent access from being concentrated on a certain computersuch as a server.

[Patent Document 1]

Japanese patent application 2003-169089

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

Also, as the problem to be solved, when this kind of computer-networksystem is applied to a request procedure in which a broadcastingapparatus sends request-reception information to downstream nodeapparatuses, and the downstream node apparatuses send requests alltogether to the broadcasting apparatus, in the case where thebroadcasting apparatus and node apparatuses form a wide IP (InternetProtocol) network and the downstream nodes send requests to thebroadcasting apparatus at the same time, problems occur in that a largecommunication load occurs in the upstream (higher-order) communicationpath of the IP network, the network load becomes large (in other words,the frequency that the upstream IP routers and communication lines ofthe network are used becomes high), and the processing load by theupstream node apparatuses becomes large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Also, taking the aforementioned problem into consideration, it is theobject of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus, atree-type network system, processing program and recording method thatare capable of performing requests to a higher-order apparatus at thesame time, while reducing the load that is concentrated in thecommunication path upstream in the network, and at an upstream nodeapparatus.

The present invention recited in claim 1 for solving the problems isdirected to a processing apparatus in a tree-type network system that isprovided with an inquiry apparatus that sends inquiry informationrequesting that reply-result information be sent, and a plurality ofprocessing apparatuses that receive the inquiry information, where theinquiry apparatus is connected to the plurality of processingapparatuses in a tree shape via communication paths so that the inquiryapparatus is the highest and the plurality of processing apparatusesform a plurality of layers, and the inquiry information that is sentfrom the inquiry apparatus is successively transferred from theprocessing apparatuses in a higher order to the processing apparatusesin a lower order, wherein one of the processing apparatuses is providedwith: an inquiry-information-receiving means for receiving the inquiryinformation that is sent from another processing apparatus that isconnected in a higher-order layer above the processing apparatus or fromthe inquiry apparatus; an inquiry-information-transfer means fortransferring the received inquiry information to one or more of theother processing apparatuses that are connected in a lower-order layerbelow the processing apparatus; a reply-result-information-receivingmeans for receiving the reply-result information that includes replyinformation for the inquiry information and that is sent from at leastone or more of the other processing apparatuses that are connected inthe lower-order layer; a reply-information-creation means for theprocessing apparatus to create its own the reply-result information forthe inquiry information; a reply-result-information-creation means forthe processing apparatus to create its own reply-result informationbased on reply-result information received by thereply-result-information-receiving means, and reply information createdby the reply-information-creation means; and areply-result-information-reply means for sending the createdreply-result information to another processing apparatus or inquiryapparatus that is connected in a higher-order layer and that is thetransmission source of inquiry information that was received by theinquiry-information-receiving means.

Accordingly, construction is such that new reply-result information iscreated based on the reply-result information that is sent fromprocessing apparatuses that are connected in the lower-order layerdirectly below, and then sent to the higher-order layer, so it ispossible to reduce the concentration of loads in the upstreamcommunication paths of a network (for example, a certain IP router,etc.), and thus it is possible to improve the operating efficiency ofthe system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the construction of a tree-typenetwork system S in the embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a drawing explaining the construction of a broadcastingapparatus 201.

FIG. 3 is a drawing explaining the construction of a node apparatus 202.

FIG. 4 is a drawing explaining the sending and receiving ofrequest-reception data and reply-result information Ans between abroadcasting apparatus 201 and node apparatus 202.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the request-reception-data-transmissionprocess performed by a control unit 211 of a broadcasting apparatus 201.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the reply-result-information-transmissionprocess that is performed by a control unit 221 of a node apparatus 202.

FIG. 7 is a drawing explaining the total-number information andselect-node information that is stored in a memory unit 222 of a nodeapparatus 202.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the reply-result-information-generationprocess by the control unit 221 of a node 202.

FIG. 9 is a drawing explaining the transmission process for sendingreply-result information Ans to a broadcasting apparatus 201 in atree-type network system S.

EXPLANATION OF LETTERS OR NUMERALS

-   201 . . . Broadcasting apparatus-   202 (202 a,202 b,202 c,202 d,202 e,202 f,202 g,202 h,202 i,202 j,202    k,202 l,202 m, 202 n,202 o,202 p) . . . Node apparatus-   203 (203 a,203 b,203 c,203 d,203 e,203 f,203 g,203 h,203 i,203 j,203    k,203 l,203 m, 203 n,203 o,203 p) . . . Communication path-   211 . . . Control unit-   212 . . . Memory unit-   213 . . . Operation-input unit-   214 . . . Encoder unit-   215 . . . Communication unit-   216 . . . Bus-   221 . . . Control unit-   222 . . . Memory unit-   223 . . . Buffer memory-   224 . . . Decoder unit-   225 . . . Video-processing unit-   226 . . . Audio-processing unit-   227 . . . Operation-input unit-   228 . . . Communication unit-   229 . . . Bus-   M . . . Display unit-   U . . . Speakers-   Rb . . . Request-reception-begin data-   Re . . . Request-reception-end data-   X . . . Select-node information-   N . . . Total-number information-   Ans . . . Reply-result information-   Tr . . . Request-possible period-   To . . . Timeout time-   M . . . Total number of apparatuses-   Su . . . Number of node apparatuses 202 connected in the lower-order    layer directly below

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The Embodiment

The embodiment of the invention will be explained below based on thedrawings. The embodiment explained below is an embodiment in which thepresent invention is applied to a computer-network system.

[Construction of a Tree-type Network System]

First, FIG. 1 will be used to explain the construction of the tree-typenetwork system of the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a drawing explaining an example of the connected state of eachof the apparatuses in the tree-type network system of the embodiment.The example shown in FIG. 1 shows an electrically connected statebetween each of the apparatuses in the tree-type network system S (forexample, the connection relationship such as between which apparatusescommunication is established).

As shown in FIG. 1, this tree-type network system S is a Peer-to-Peer(P2P) type network system that comprises a broadcasting apparatus 201 asan example of an inquiring apparatus that transmits (distributes)request-reception-begin data Rb as inquiry information, and a pluralityof node apparatuses (peers) 202 a, 202 b, 202 c, . . . , 202 p as anexample of a plurality of processing apparatuses that receive theaforementioned request-reception-begin data Rb.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the tree-type network system S there is aplurality of layers with a broadcasting apparatus 201 being the highestlayer, and a plurality of node apparatuses 202 a to 202 p, that areconnected in a tree shape via a plurality of communication paths 203 a,203 b, 203 c, 203 p according to the respective IP addresses.

Also, the various data that is distributed by the broadcasting apparatus201 is transferred in order from the higher-order node apparatuses suchas 202 a and 202 b to the lower-order node apparatuses such as 202 g to202 p. In the explanation below, for convenience when indicating any oneof the node apparatuses 202 a to 202 p, the node apparatus may be simplyreferred to as node apparatus 202.

The broadcasting apparatus 201 and plurality of node apparatuses 202 ato 202 p are physically connected to a network such as the Internet thatcomprises apparatuses that are located at providers such as IX (InternetExchange), ISP (Internet Service Provider), DSL (Digital SubscriberLine), apparatuses that are located at FTTH (Fiber to the House) lineproviders, and communication lines such as telephone lines, opticalcable or the like, and the broadcasting apparatus 201 and each of thenode apparatuses 202 a to 202 p are assigned with its own uniqueapparatus ID and IP (Internet Protocol) address.

[Construction and Function of the Broadcasting Apparatus]

Next, FIG. 2 will be used to explain the construction and function ofthe broadcasting apparatus 201.

FIG. 2 is a drawing explaining the construction of the broadcastingapparatus 201.

As shown in FIG. 2, the broadcasting apparatus 201 comprises: a controlunit 211 of a computer that comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit)that has a computational function, RAM (Random-Access Memory) for work,and ROM (Read-Only Memory) for storing various data and programs; amemory unit 212 that comprises a HDD (Hard Disc Drive) or the like thatstores various data, tables and programs; an operation-input unit 213for giving instruction to send request-reception data; an encoder unit214 that encodes (data compression, encoding, etc.) video data (videoinformation) and audio data (audio information) that are included in therequest-reception data; and a communication unit 215 for performingcommunication control of communication over the network with nodeapparatuses 202; where each of these components is connected to eachother via a bus 216. Also, by executing programs that are stored in ROMor the like, the control unit 211 functions asinquiry-information-transmission means andreply-result-information-receiving means of the present invention.

The request-reception data is either request-reception-begin data Rb orrequest-reception-end data Re, and is created, for example, by anoperator such as a disc jockey, who operates the broadcasting apparatus201 by operating the operation-input unit 213. More specifically, theoperator creates request-reception-begin data Rb such as ‘Viewers (orlisteners) with a request, please press the request button’, as videodata or as multimedia data that also includes audio data, and afterattaching an ID code that indicates the beginning of receiving requestinput, saves the data in the memory unit 212. Also, the operator createsrequest-reception-end data Re such as ‘Receiving requests has ended.Thank you!’ as video data or audio data, and after attaching an ID codethat indicates the end of receiving request input, saves the data in thememory unit 212.

The method for attaching the aforementioned ID code can be any method aslong as the ID code can be identified by a node apparatus; for example,in the case of performing encoding using MPEG (Moving Picture ExpertsGroup) format, the ID code can be entered in the user data portion ofthe sequence layer.

Also, when the operator operates the operation-input unit 213 and givesan instruction to send either request-reception-begin data Rb orrequest-reception-end data Re, the CPU in the control unit 211 executesa program that is stored in the memory unit 212, and in doing so, thecontrol unit 211 reads the request-reception-begin data Rb orrequest-reception-end data Re that is stored in the memory unit 212,then has the encoder unit 214 encode the video data and/or audio datathat is included in that data and transmits that data via thecommunication unit 215 to node apparatuses 202 (node apparatuses 202 aand 202 b in the example shown in FIG. 1). The node apparatuses 202determine whether the data is request-reception-begin data Rb orrequest-reception-end data Re according to the ID data that is attachedto that data.

Also, the communication unit 215 has various communication functionssuch as packet processing, UDP processing, data-link processing,physical-layer processing and the like, and after the request-receptiondata has been put into packets and the IP address of the node apparatus202 that is the transmission destination has been attached to eachpacket header, it is sent from the communication unit 215.

The IP addresses of the node apparatuses 202 that are the transmissiondestinations (in the example of the tree-type network system S shown inFIG. 1, these are the IP addresses of node apparatuses 202 a and 202 bthat are connected in the lower-order layer directly below) are suchthat they are acquired according to control from the control unit 211 byreferencing a connection-state table that is stored in the memory unit212.

The processing for sending (transferring) the request-reception datawill be described in more detail later.

Moreover, the control unit 211 functions together with the communicationunit 215 as a reply-result-information-receiving means that receivesreply-result information Ans from the node apparatuses (node apparatuses202 a and 202 b in the example shown in FIG. 1) that are connected inthe lower-order layer directly below.

This reply-result information Ans includes select-node information X,and total-number information N, which indicates the select-nodeinformation X from among that select-node information X that wasselected, as an example of the reply information in this invention.Here, the select-node information X is information that indicates one ofthe node apparatuses that was selected from among the node apparatusesdownstream of the node apparatuses 202 and the node apparatuses 202themselves that are connected in the lower-order layer directly below,and it includes ID-number information that was given to each of the nodeapparatuses 202 for identifying the apparatuses.

When the communication unit 215 receives reply-result information Ansfrom each of the respective node apparatuses 202 that are connected inthe lower-order layer directly below, it selects according to controlfrom the control unit 211 one of the items of select-node information Xfrom among each item of select-node information X that is included inthe received reply-result information Ans. When doing this, it selectsone item of select-node information X based on the respectivetotal-number information N that is included in the receivedreplay-result information Ans.

In other words, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the broadcastingapparatus 201 receives the reply-result information Ans from each of thenode apparatuses 202 a and 202 b that are connected in the lower-orderlayer directly below, and the reply-result information Ans that is sentfrom node apparatus 202 a includes in it, select-node information X,which indicates the node apparatus that was selected from among the nodeapparatus 202 a itself and the node apparatuses 202 c, 202 d, 202 g, 202h, 202 i and 202 j downstream of node apparatus 202 a, and total-numberinformation N (N=6).

Also, the reply-result information Ans that is sent from node apparatus202 b includes in it, select-node information X, which indicates thenode apparatus that was selected from among the node apparatus 202 bitself and the node apparatuses 202 e, 202 f, 202 k, 202 l, 202 m, 202n, 202 o and 202 p downstream of node apparatus 202 b, and total-numberinformation N (N=9).

Therefore, the broadcasting apparatus 201 selects one item ofselect-node information X from among the select-node information X thatis included in the reply-result information Ans that is sent from nodeapparatus 202 a, the select-node information X that is included in thereply-result information Ans that is sent from node apparatus 202 b,based on the total-number information N that is included in thereply-result information Ans from both.

With this kind of construction, when selecting one item of select-nodeinformation X from among the sent select-node information X that wasincluded in the reply-result information Ans from the node apparatuses202 a and 202 b, which are node apparatuses that are connected in thelower-order layer directly below, it is possible to take intoconsideration the total-number information N of the node apparatuses 202that are connected downstream of the node apparatuses 202 a and 202 bwhen making the selection, so it is possible for the select-nodeinformation X that is generated by all of the node apparatuses 202 to beselected equally. The detailed method of the process for selecting theselect-node information X is the same as the method of thereply-information-selection process by the node apparatuses 202, so itwill be described layer when explaining the reply-information-selectionprocess by the node apparatuses 202.

[Construction and Function of a Node Apparatus]

Next, FIG. 3 will be used to explain the construction and function of anode apparatus 202.

FIG. 3 is a drawing explaining an example of the construction of a nodeapparatus 202.

As shown in FIG. 3, each node apparatus 202 comprises: a control unit221 as a computer that controls each of the components of the nodeapparatus 202; a memory unit 222 that comprises a magnetic disc or thelike that stores various data, tables and programs; a buffer memory 223that temporarily stores received request-reception data; a decoder unit224 that decodes encoded video data and audio data that is included inthe request-reception data; a video-processing unit 225 that performsspecified graphic processing of the decoded video data and outputs thatdata as a video signal; a display unit M such as a CRT, liquid-crystaldisplay or the like that displays video images based on the video signalthat is output from the video-processing unit 225; an audio-processingunit 226 that converts (D/A conversion) the decoded digital audio datato an analog audio signal, after which it amplifies the signal by way ofan amplifier and outputs the result; an operation-input unit 227 that isoperated by a user for making requests; and a communication unit 228that performs communication control over a network between the nodeapparatus 202 and a broadcasting apparatus 201 or another node apparatus202; and is such that the control unit 221, memory unit 222, buffermemory 223, decoder unit 224, operation-input unit 227 and communicationunit 228 are connected to each other via a bus 219.

The control unit 221 comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (notshown in the figure), working RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read OnlyMemory) that stores various control programs including processingprograms, and various data, and a oscillation circuit, and based onoperation signals from the operation unit (not shown in the figure),generates control information for controlling each of the componentsthat execute the operation corresponding to the operation informationincluded in the operation signal, and outputs that control informationvia the bus 219 to the appropriate components to perform overall controlof the operation of those components. Also, by executing programs thatare stored in ROM or the like, the control unit 221 functions as theinquiry-information-receiving means, inquiry-information-transfer means,reply-result-information-receiving means, reply-information-creationmeans, reply-results-information-creation means,reply-results-information-reply means, selection means,total-number-information-acquisition means,total-number-information-transmission means, end-information-receivingmeans, answer-information-input-receiving means, and wait-time-settingmeans of this invention.

More specifically, when the CPU of the control unit 221 executes aprogram stored in the memory unit 222 or the like, the control unit 221functions together with the communication unit 228 as theinquiry-information-receiving means and receives via the communicationunit 228 request-reception data that is sent from the broadcastingapparatus 201, or that is transferred from a node apparatus 202 that isconnected in the higher-order layer directly above (for example, in FIG.1, a node apparatus 202 that is connected in the higher-order layerdirectly above node apparatus 202 c is node apparatus 202 a), andtogether with storing that data in the buffer memory 223, reads thatrequest-reception data from the buffer memory 223, then has the decoderunit 224 decode the video data and audio data included in that data andoutput the video data to the video-processing unit 225 and output theaudio data to the audio-processing unit 227.

Furthermore, together with the communication unit 228, the control unit221 (except in the node apparatuses 202 g to 202 p of the lowest-orderlayer) functions as the inquiry-information-transfer means, andtransfers via the communication unit 228 request-reception data that wassent from a node apparatus 202 that is connected in the higher-orderlayer directly above to a node apparatus 202 that is connected in thelower-order layer directly below.

In other words, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the node apparatuses 202that are connected in the lower-order layer directly below nodeapparatus 202 a are node apparatuses 202 c and 202 d, so when nodeapparatus 202 a receives request-reception data from the broadcastingapparatus 201, it transfers that request-reception data to nodeapparatuses 202 c and 202 d.

Also, the node apparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-orderlayer directly below node apparatus 202 c are node apparatuses 202 g to202 i, so when node apparatus 202 c receives request-reception data fromnode apparatus 202 a that is connected in the higher-order layer, ittransfers that request-reception data to node apparatuses 202 g to 202i.

In this ways, request-reception data that is sent from the broadcastingapparatus 201 is transferred in order to the lowest-order nodeapparatuses 202 g to 202 p.

Here, similar to the broadcasting apparatus 201 described above, thecontrol unit 221 references a connection-state table that is stored inthe memory unit 222 to determine the transfer destination of therequest-reception data. This connect ion-state table includes at leastthe IP addresses of that node apparatus 202 and the node apparatuses 202to which it is connected.

Moreover, together with the control unit 221, the operation-input unit227 functions as the answer-information-input-receiving means, and itcomprises a request button, operation bar, keyboard, and the like, andfrom the time that the request-reception-begin data Rb that is receivedby way of the communication unit 228 is reproduced and output by thespeaker U or display unit M until the request-reception-end data Re isreceived, the operation-input unit 227 receives request input from theuser as answer information.

Also, the control unit 221 functions as the reply-information-creationmeans, and based on an input request, creates select-node information Xas an example of the reply information in this invention, andtemporarily stores that information in the memory unit 222.

Moreover, together with the communication unit 228, the control unit 221functions as the reply-result-information-receiving means, and receivesselect-node information X that is sent from each of the node apparatuses202 that are connected in the lower-order layer directly below asreply-result information Ans. Also, the control unit 221 functions asthe wait-time-setting means, and after a timeout time To (describedlater) has passed, receives the reply-result information Ans that issent from each of the node apparatuses 202 that are connected in thelower-order layer directly below.

Moreover, the control unit 221 functions as thereply-result-information-creation means, and based on the select-nodeinformation X that is sent from each of the node apparatuses 202 thatare connected in the lower-order layer directly below as reply-resultinformation Ans, and the select-node information X created by itself,creates new reply-result information Ans.

Furthermore, together with the communication unit 228, the control unit221 functions as the reply-result-information-reply means, and transfers(sends) the created reply-result information Ans to the node apparatus202 that is connected in the higher-order layer directly above. Nodeapparatuses 202 a and 202 b transfer (send) newly created reply-resultinformation Ans to the broadcasting apparatus 201.

In other words, when a node apparatus 202, except for the nodeapparatuses 202 g to 202 p of the lowest-order layer, receivesreply-result information Ans by way of the communication unit 228 fromthe respective node apparatuses 202 that are connected in thelower-order layer directly below, it selects, according to control fromthe control unit 221, one item of select-node information X from amongall of the items of select-node information X that were included in thereceived reply-result information Ans, and the select-node information Xthat was created by that node apparatus 202 itself. When doing this, itselects one item of select-node information X based on each item oftotal-number information N that was included in the receivedreply-result information Ans.

Also, the control unit 221 creates new reply-result information Ans thatincludes the selected select-node information X, and total-numberinformation N that indicates how many items of select-node information Xthat that select-node information was selected from.

The lowest-order node apparatuses 202 g to 202 p have no reply-resultinformation Ans from downstream node apparatuses, so they createreply-result information Ans in which the select-node information X thatwas created by the node apparatus 202 itself is selected, and thetotal-number information N counts only that apparatus itself.

By doing this, in the broadcasting apparatus 201 it is possible to knowhow many items of select-node information X the items of select-nodeinformation X that are included in the reply-result information Ans sentfrom both node apparatus 202 a and node apparatus 202 b are selectedfrom, and based on that amount it becomes possible to equally select oneof the items of select-node information X. The method for generatingreply-result information Ans will be described in detail later.

It is not necessary for the node apparatus 202 to comprise of all orpart of the components: decoder unit 224, video-processing unit 225,display unit M, audio-processing unit 226 and speaker U, that were givenas components of the node apparatus 202, and construction can be suchthat another apparatus (for example a television receiver, personalcomputer, etc.) that is connection to the node apparatus 202 via acoaxial cable, LAN (Local Area Network) cable or the like comprisesthese components.

[Request-Reception-Data-Transmission Process by a BroadcastingApparatus]

First, the process for transmitting request-reception data by thebroadcasting apparatus 201 of this invention will be explained indetail.

The process of sending request-reception data from the broadcastingapparatus 201 to node apparatuses 202, and the process of receivingreply-result information Ans from the node apparatuses 202 will beexplained using FIG. 1 to FIG. 5.

FIG. 4 is a drawing explaining the sending and receiving ofrequest-reception data and reply-result information Ans between thebroadcasting apparatus 201 and node apparatuses 202, where in the samedrawing, various kinds of data are sent and received between thebroadcasting apparatus 201 and node apparatus 202 a, node apparatus 202c and node apparatus 202 g.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the process performed by the 211 of thebroadcasting apparatus 201 for sending request-reception data, where theprocess shown in the flowchart is executed according to control from thecontrol unit 211 based on a program that is stored beforehand in ROM(not shown in the figure) inside the control unit 211.

The process shown in FIG. 5 is begun by an instruction to sendrequest-reception-begin data Rb that is given by an operator of thebroadcasting apparatus 201 such as a disc jockey that operations theoperation-input unit 213. Also, at this time, the operator enters therequest-possible period Tr (for example 1 minute or 1 hour), and storesit in RAM (not shown in the figure) of the control unit.

First, the broadcasting apparatus 201 sends request-reception-begin dataRb to the node apparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-orderlayer directly below (step S101). In the example shown in FIG. 1, therequest-reception-begin data Rb is sent to the node apparatuses 202 aand 202 b that are connected in the lower-order layer directly below.

Also, the broadcasting apparatus 201 uses the internal clock that isequipped in the broadcasting apparatus 201 to begin measuring the time(step S102). Next, the broadcasting apparatus 201 determines whether ornot the request-possible period Tr that was stored in the RAM of thecontrol unit 211 has elapsed (step S103), and when it determines thatthe request-possible period Tr has not yet elapsed (step S103: No), itrepeats the processing of that step S103. In other words, thebroadcasting apparatus 201 waits for the request-possible period Tr toelapse before going to the next process.

On the other hand, when the broadcasting apparatus 201 determines thatthe request-possible period Tr has elapsed (step S103: Yes), it sendsrequest-reception-end data Re to the node apparatuses 202 that areconnected in the lower-order layer directly below (in the example shownin FIG. 1, node apparatuses 202 a and 202 b) (step S104).

In the example shown in FIG. 4, after request-reception-begin data Rbhas been sent from the broadcasting apparatus 201 to node apparatus 202a, the broadcasting apparatus 201 sends request-reception-end data tonode apparatus 202 a only after the request-possible period Tr haselapsed.

When doing this, depending on the communication load between thebroadcasting apparatus 201, node apparatus 202 a, node apparatus 202 cand node apparatus 202 g, transmission delay times Td1, Td2 and Td3occur in the data communication, respectively, however, construction issuch that the broadcasting apparatus 201 individually sends(distributes) request-reception-end data Re to each of the nodeapparatuses 202 indicating the end of the request-possible period Trduring which request input can be received, so it is possible for eachof the node apparatuses 202 as well to accurately maintain therequest-possible period Tr that is set by broadcasting apparatus 201.

Next, the broadcasting apparatus 201 starts time measurement again (stepS105).

Next, the broadcasting apparatus 201 determines whether or notreply-result information Ans has been received from all of the nodeapparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-order layer directlybelow (step S106). When as a result of this judgment, it is determinedthat reply-result information Ans has not been received from all of thenode apparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-order layerdirectly below (step S106: No), the broadcasting apparatus 201determines whether or not a preset timeout time To has elapsed (stepS107), and when the timeout time To has not yet elapsed (step S107: No),processing returns to step S106.

On the other hand, when as a result of the judgment in step S106, it isdetermined that reply-result information Ans has been received from allof the node apparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-order layerdirectly below (step S106: Yes), or when as a result of the judgment instep S107 it is determined that the timeout time To has elapsed (stepS107: Yes), the broadcasting apparatus 201 performs theselect-node-information-selection process (step S108).

The method for performing the select-node-information-selection processis the same as that of the select-node-information-selection process bythe node apparatuses 202, so will be explained in detail later.

[Reply-Result-Information-Transmission Process by a Node Apparatus]

Next, the process of sending reply-result information by a nodeapparatus 202 of this invention will be explained in detail using FIG. 1to FIG. 7.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the reply-result-information-transmissionprocess that is performed by the 221 of a node apparatus 202. Here, themethod of creating new reply-result information Ans based on thereply-result information Ans that was sent from node apparatuses 202that are connected in the lower-order layer directly below, andselect-node information X that was created by the node apparatus itself,and sending that newly created reply-result information Ans to a nodeapparatus 202 or to the broadcasting apparatus 201 that is connected inthe higher-order layer, is explained. Therefore, except for nodeapparatuses 202 g to 202 p, which are of the lowest-order layer, theprocessing of step S118 to step S120 of this process, is processing thatis performed by node apparatuses 202 a to 202 f.

First, when request-reception-begin data Rb is received from thebroadcasting apparatus 201 or from a node apparatus 202 that isconnected in the higher-order layer directly above (step S110), the nodeapparatus 202 begins receiving request input (step S111). Morespecifically, after the decoder unit 224 decodes the receivedrequest-reception-begin data Rb and specified output processing has beenperformed by the video-processing unit 225 and/or audio-processing unit226, a combined video and audio message, such as ‘Viewers (or listeners)having a request, please press the request button.’, is output from thedisplay unit M and/or speaker U, and when the user desires to make arequest, the user operates the operation-input unit 227 to place thatrequest.

The node apparatus 202 also transfers the request-reception-begin dataRb to node apparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-order layerdirectly below by way of communication unit 228 (step S12). In theexample shown in FIG. 1, node apparatus 202 a transfers therequest-reception-begin data Rb to node apparatus 202 c, and nodeapparatus 202 c transfers it to node apparatuses 202 g to 202 i.

Next, the node apparatus 202 uses ID code that is attached to therequest-reception data to determine whether or not request-reception-enddata Re has been received (step S113). When the node apparatus 202determines that request-reception-end data Re has not yet been received(step S113: No), it repeats the processing of step S113. In other words,it waits until the request-reception-end data Re has been receivedbefore performing the next process.

On the other hand, when the node apparatus determines that therequest-reception-end data Re has been received (step S113: Yes), itends receiving request input (step S114). More specifically, after thedecoder unit 224 decodes the received request-reception-end data Re andspecified processing has been performed by the video-processing unit 225and/or audio-processing unit 226, a combined video and audio message,such as ‘The receiving of requests has ended. Thank you very much.’, isoutput from the display unit M and/or speaker U, and the user stopsusing the operation-input unit 227 to make requests. Also, even thoughthe user may operate the operation-input unit 227, control is performedat the step when the request-reception-end data Re is received to stopreceiving request input.

Moreover, the node apparatus 202 transfers the request-reception-enddata Re to the node apparatuses that are connected in the lower-orderlayer directly below by way of the communication unit 228 (step S115).In the example shown in FIG. 1, node apparatus 202 a transfers therequest-reception-end data Re to node apparatus 202 c, and nodeapparatus 202 c transfers the request-reception-end data Re to nodeapparatuses 202 g to 202 i.

Also, the node apparatus 202 determines whether or not there is requestinput from after the time that receiving of request input begins in stepS11 until the time that receiving of request input ends in step S114(step S116). When as a result of the judgment it is determined thatthere was no request input (step S116: No), processing moves to stepS118. However, when as a result of judgment it is determined that therewas request input (step S116: Yes), the node apparatus 202 createsselect-node information X that indicates that there was a request (stepS117). The select-node information X that was created by the node itselfis used when performing the reply-result-information-creation processdescribed later, so it is stored in the memory unit 222. When there wasno request input in step S116, select-node information for the nodeapparatus itself is not created.

Also, the node apparatus 202 uses the internal clock of the nodeapparatus 202 to start measuring time (step S118).

Next, the node apparatus 202 determines whether or not reply-resultinformation Ans has been received from all of the node apparatuses 202that are connected in the lower-order layer directly below (step S119).When as a result of judgment, the node apparatus 202 determines thatreply-result information Ans has not been received from all of the nodeapparatuses 202 connected in the lower-order layer directly below (stepS119: No), it determines whether or not a timeout time To that was setin advance as a receiving-wait time has elapsed (step S120), and when itdetermines that the timeout time To has not yet elapsed (step S120: No),it returns to step S119.

On the other hand, when as a result of the judgment in step S119, thenode apparatus 202 determines that reply-result information Ans has beenreceived from all of the node apparatuses 202 that are connected in thelower-order layer directly below (step S119: Yes), or, when as a resultof the judgment in step S120, determines that the timeout time To haselapsed (step S120: Yes), it performs thereply-result-information-creation process based on the reply-resultinformation Ans that was received in time (step S121). In the case wherethere are no node apparatuses 202 connected in the lower-order layerdirectly below, the node apparatus 202 does not execute steps S118 toS120.

Also, total-number information N and select-node information X selectedby the node apparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-order layerdirectly below are included in the reply-result information Ans that issent from the node apparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-orderlayer directly below, and as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of these itemsof reply-result information Ans are saved in the memory unit 222. Inother words, in the case where there are k number of node apparatuses202 that are connected in the lower-order layer directly below, k numberof items of total-number information N and items of select-nodeinformation X are correlated and saved in the memory unit 222.

Also, the node apparatus 202 sends the reply-result information Ans thatis created in the reply-result-information-creation process to bedescribed later to the node apparatus 202 that is connected in thehigher-order layer directly above (node apparatuses 202 a and 202 b sendreply-result information Ans to the broadcasting apparatus 201) (stepS122), and then ends processing.

[Reply-Result-Information-Creation Process]

Next, the reply-result-information process of step S121 mentioned abovewill be explained.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the reply-result-information-creationprocess that is performed by the control unit 221 of a node apparatus202. In the explanation below, it is supposed that the node apparatuses202 g to 202 p of the lowest-order layer have made requests, and in thatcase, the node apparatuses 202 g to 202 p of the lowest-order layercreate reply-result information Ans as the select-node information Xcreated by the node apparatus itself, and total-number information N as1, and send that information to the respective node apparatuses 202 c to202 f that are connected in the higher-order layer directly above.

First, based on the reply-result information Ans that is sent from eachof the node apparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-order layerdirectly below, the node apparatus 202 calculates the total number ofapparatuses M in the lower-order layers below that node apparatus 202(step S131).

In other words, as shown in FIG. 7, the node apparatus 202 totals all ofthe total-number information N1, N2, N3, N3, . . . N(k) that is storedin the memory unit 222 to obtain the total number of apparatuses M.

Here, FIG. 9 will be used to explain the total-number information N inmore detail.

First, node apparatus 202 c sends one item of select-node information Xthat it selected from among the select-node information X that wasincluded in the reply-result information Ans that was sent from each ofthe node apparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-order layerdirectly below (in the example shown in FIG. 9, node apparatuses 202 g,202 h and 202 i) and the select-node information X that node apparatus202 c created itself, and the total-number information N to nodeapparatus 202 a as reply-result information Ans. Here, the total-numberinformation N is the total number of node apparatuses 202 that areconnected below the node apparatus 202 c itself (3 in the example shownin FIG. 9) added to the number ‘1’ for itself (the total is 4 in theexample shown in FIG. 9).

Also, similarly, node apparatus 202 d sends one item of select-nodeinformation X that it selected from among the select-node information Xthat was included in the reply-result information Ans that was sent fromthe node apparatus 202 that is connected in the lower-order layerdirectly below (in the example shown in FIG. 9, node apparatus 202 j),the select-node information X that node apparatus 202 d created itself,and the total-number information N to node apparatus 202 a asreply-result information Ans. Here, the total-number information N isthe total number of node apparatuses 202 that are connected below thenode apparatus 202 d itself (1 in the example shown in FIG. 9) added tothe number ‘1’ for itself (the total is 2 in the example shown in FIG.9).

By doing this, it is possible for node apparatus 202 a, which receivedthe respective items of reply-result information Ans from node apparatus202 c and node apparatus 202 d, to know from the respective total-numberinformation N how many items of select-node information X that the itemsof select-node information X, which were included in the respectiveitems of reply-result information Ans that were sent from node apparatus202 c and node apparatus 202 d, were selected from; and based on thatcan fairly select one item of select-node information X. The method ofselecting select-node information X will be described in detail later.

For example, together with selecting select-node information Xg that wasincluded in the reply-result information Ans that was sent from nodeapparatus 202 g, node apparatus 202 c obtains the total-numberinformation as 4, and sends these to node apparatus 202 a asreply-result information Ans.

On the other hand, in the case where node apparatus 202 d selectsselect-node information Xd that it created itself, then together withthat select-node information Xd, it obtains the total-number informationN as 2 (node apparatus 202 d and node apparatus 202 j), and sends theseto node apparatus 202 a as reply-result information Ans.

By doing so, based on the items of reply-result information Ans thatwere sent from node apparatus 202 c and node apparatus 202 d that areconnected in the lower-order layer directly below, the node apparatus202 a checks according to the items of total-number information N (inthe example shown in FIG. 9, the items of total-number information N are4 and 2) how many items of select-node information X the items ofselect-node information X (select-node information Xg and Xd in FIG. 9)that were selected by the node apparatus 202 c and node apparatus 202 dwere selected from, and taking into consideration the weight of that,selects an item of select-node information X from among the items ofselect-node information Xg and Xd that were respectively selected bynode apparatus 202 c and node apparatus 202 d. Also, node apparatus 202a creates reply-result information Ans based on the selected select-nodeinformation X (select-node information Xg in FIG. 9) and total-numberinformation N (7 in the example shown in FIG. 9), and sends it to thebroadcasting apparatus 201.

In other words, in step S131, a node apparatus 202 references the memoryunit 222, and acquires and adds the items of total-number information Nthat were included in the items of reply-result information Ans thatwere sent from each of the node apparatuses 202 that are connected inthe lower-order layer directly below, and calculates the total number ofapparatuses M.

Next, the node apparatus 202 determines whether or not there isselect-node information X in the memory unit 222 (step S132). In otherwords, when there is request input in step S116 described above,select-node information X that was created in step S117 is stored in thememory unit 222, and when there is no request input, there will be noselect-node information X in the memory unit 222.

Also, when as a result of the judgment in step S132, it is determinedthat there is select-node information in the memory unit 222 (step S132:Yes), the node apparatus 202 adds one for itself to the total number ofapparatuses M (step S133). However, when it is determined that there isno select-node information X in the memory unit 222 (step S132: No), thenode apparatus 202 moves on to step S134.

The node apparatus 202 generates a pseudo random number W between 0 and9999 (step S134). Also, the value ‘k’, which indicates the nodeapparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-order layer directlybelow is initialized to ‘1’ (step S135). Next, the total-numberinformation N(k) that was sent from the kth node apparatus 202 of thenode apparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-order layerdirectly below is acquired as variable T (step S136).

Also, the node apparatus 202 selects select-node information based onthe total-number information (step S137 to step S142).

First, the node apparatus 202 determines whether or not the pseudorandom number W that was generated in step S134 is less than T×10000/M(step S138). When as a result of the judgment it is determined that thepseudo random number W is less than T×10000/M (step S138: Yes), nodeapparatus 202 selects select-node information X(k) (step S139).

For example, the case of performing processing by node apparatus 202 ashown in FIG. 9 will be explained. Total-number information N(1)=4 andselect-node information Xg that are included in the reply-resultinformation Ans that was sent from node apparatus 202 c, andtotal-number information N(2)=2 and select-node information Xd that weresent from node apparatus 202 d are stored in the memory unit 222.

After that, supposing that in the processing of step S133 node apparatus202 a had select-node information in the memory unit 222, theexplanation continues with the total number of apparatuses M acquired asbeing N(1)+N(2)+1=4+2+1=7.

Next, in the processing of step S136, first, variable T is acquired asbeing N(1), or in other words 4.

Therefore, in the judgment of step S138, T×10000/M is calculated as4×10000/7=5714.286.

In other words, when the pseudo random number W generated in step S134is 0 to 5713, the select-node information Xg that was sent fromnode-apparatus 202 c is selected by node apparatus 202 a as select-nodeinformation Xg.

On the other hand, when the pseudo random number is 5714 or greater,node apparatus 202 a moves to the processing of step S140.

Next, node apparatus 202 adds one to the value ‘k’ that indicates thenode apparatus 202 (step S140), and obtains a new variable T (stepS141). In other words, in the example shown in FIG. 9, node apparatus202 a obtains as the variable T=N(1)+N(2)=4+2=6. Also, the nodeapparatus 202 returns to the processing of step S137 (step S142) andrepeats steps S137 to S142 until the value ‘k’ exceeds the number ofnode apparatuses Su that are connected in the lower-order layer directlybelow, and ends the loop when ‘k’ exceeds the number Su.

When it is not possible to select one item of select-node information Xin step S137 to step S142, the node apparatus 202 selects theselect-node information X that it created itself (step S143).

Also, together with obtaining the select-node information X that wasselected in step S139 or step S143, the node apparatus 202 acquires thetotal number of apparatuses M as the total-number information N, thencreates reply-result information Ans with these (step S144) and endsprocessing.

In other words, in the example shown in FIG. 9, in the processing of thefirst loop for selecting select-node information described above, whenthe pseudo number W generated in step S134 is between 0 to 5713, nodeapparatus 202 a selects the select-node information Xg that was sentfrom node apparatus 202 c as the select-node information. When this isnot the case, then in the processing of the second loop for selectingselect-node information, T×10000/M is calculated as being(4+2)×10000/7=8571.429, so when the pseudo random number W that wasgenerated in step S134 is between 5714 to 8570, node apparatus 202 aselects the select-node information Xd that was sent from node apparatus202 d as the select-node information.

When this is not the case (in other words, when the pseudo random numberW is 8571 or greater), then node apparatus 202 a selects the select-nodeinformation Xa that it created itself in step S143. In other words, theprobability that node apparatus 202 a will select node apparatus 202 gthat was selected by node apparatus 202 c having a large value fortotal-number information N is larger than the probability of selectingnode apparatus 202 d that is selected by node apparatus 202 d having asmall value for total-number information N. That is, the probabilitythat select-node information Xg that was sent from node apparatus 202 cwill be selected is 5713/1000= 4/7, and the probability that select-nodeinformation Xd that was sent from node apparatus 202 d will be selectedis (8570−5713)/10000= 2/7, and the probability that the select-nodeinformation Xa that was created by node apparatus 202 a will be selectedis (9999−8570)/10000= 1/7. As a result, construction is possible inwhich the items of select-node information X that are generated by allof the node apparatuses 202 participating in the tree-type networksystem are selected equally.

With the embodiment of the invention described above, construction issuch that select-node information X is received from the nodeapparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-order layer directlybelow as reply-result information Ans, and new reply-result informationAns is created based on that reply-result information Ans and then sentto the node apparatus 202 (or broadcasting apparatus 201) that isconnected in the higher-order layer directly above, so it is possible toreduce concentration of load (access) in upstream communication paths ofthe network (for example a certain router IP) and in upstream nodeapparatuses 202, and thus it is possible to improve the operatingefficiency of the system.

Also, when the broadcasting apparatus 201, which makes an inquiry suchas a request, asks for requests, and the broadcasting apparatus 201selects one of the items of select-node information X from among theitems of select-node information X that were sent from downstream nodeapparatuses 202, construction is such that when each node apparatus 202receives items of select-node information X from each of the nodeapparatuses that are connected in the lower-order layer directly belowas reply-result information Ans, and creates new reply-resultinformation Ans based on that reply-result information Ans, each nodeapparatus 202 selects select-node information X, then createsreply-result information Ans that includes that selected select-nodeinformation X and sends it to the node apparatus 202 that is connectedin the higher-order layer directly above, so the broadcasting apparatus201 only needs to select one item of select-node information X from theitems of select-node information X that were sent from the nodeapparatuses 202 that are connected in the lower-order layer directlybelow (node apparatuses 202 a and 202 b in the example shown in the FIG.9), so selection of the select-node information can be performed moreefficiently.

Furthermore, when selecting one item of select-node information X fromamong the items of select-node information X from the node apparatuses202 that are connected in the lower-order layer directly below and theselect-node information X created by the node apparatus itself, and thensending it to the node apparatus 202 that is connected in thehigher-order layer directly above, total-number information N, whichindicates how many items of select-node information X that the selectedselect-node information X was selected from, is also included in thereply-result information Ans, so construction is such that whenselecting one item of select-node information X from the items ofselect-node information X that are included in the items ofreply-result-information Ans that are sent from the node apparatuses 202that are connected in the lower-order layer directly below, it ispossible to select one item of select-node information taking intoconsideration its weight, so that the items of select-node information Xthat are created by all of the node apparatuses 202 are selectedequally.

The select-node-information-selection process that is performed by thebroadcasting apparatus 201 in step S108 is the same as theselect-node-information-selection process that is performed by the nodeapparatuses 202 as described above, so when the broadcasting apparatus 2finally selects one item of select-node information, construction issuch that it is possible to perform selection equally from the items ofselect-node information that are created by all of the node apparatusesparticipating in the tree-type network system S.

In the embodiment described above, the timeout time To in step S107 andthe timeout time To in step S120 are set the same, however, theinvention is not limited to this, and it is possible to suitably changethe settings according to the connect ion state of the node apparatuses(ISP, DSL, etc.), the performance of the apparatuses, or the like.

Also, in the embodiment described above, request-reception data was sentto the node apparatuses 202 as multimedia information, however, theinvention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to send it asimply a marker signal. In other words, request-reception-start data Rbis sent as a starting marker to indicate the start of the reception ofrequest input, and request-reception-end data Re is sent as an endingmarker indicating the end of the reception of request input. In thiscase, the node apparatuses 202 that receive these signals can be suchthat they reproduce and output images and audio that indicated the start(or the end) of the reception of request input.

Moreover, in the embodiment described above, the node apparatuses 202 gto 202 p of the lowest-order layer were explained as performing requestsproperly, however, when a user does not press the request button forexample, the select-node information X for that node apparatus itself isnot generated, (or information indication ‘nothing has been selected’ isgenerated) and information indicating that there is no select-nodeinformation in the reply-result information Ans and that thetotal-number information N is ‘0’ is sent.

Furthermore, the contents of the request-reception-start data Rb that issent from the broadcasting apparatus 201 comprises O×quiz, and by havingconstruction such that together with sending correct-answer informationindicating the correct answer along with the request-reception-startdata Rb, the control unit 221 of a node apparatus 202 functions as ajudgment means and determines whether or not the input from each of thenode apparatuses matches the correct answer to the quiz, and when theselect-node information X that is created based on that input does notmatch the correct answer to the quiz, that created select-nodeinformation X is removed as an object of selection in theselect-node-information-selection process described above. By doing soit is possible to apply this invention to a viewer-participation-type ofquiz. In the case where input does not match the correct answer to thequiz, construction can be such that no select-node information X iscreated.

Also, in the embodiment described above, pseudo random numbers weregenerated between 0 and 9999, however, when the number of all of thenode apparatuses 202 that participate in the tree-type network system Sis a larger number (for example, 10,000 or more), in order to reduce theround off error when making the result of the probability calculation aninteger, it is possible to use a larger range of random numbers.

Also, in the embodiment described above, one item of select-nodeinformation X was selected from among the items of select-nodeinformation included in the items of reply-result information Ans thatwere sent from each of the node apparatuses 202 that are connected inthe lower-order layer directly be low, and sent to the node apparatus202 or broadcasting apparatus 201 that is connected in the higher-orderdirectly above, however, the invention is not limited to this, andconstruction can be such that a specified number of items of select-nodeinformation X be sent. In that case, in the processing of step S134described above only a specified number of pseudo random numbers aregenerated, and a select-node-information-selection loop (step S137 tostep S143) is performed for each pseudo random number W in order toselect a specified number of items of select-node information X and thensend that specified number of select-node information X included in thereply-result information Ans.

The present invention is not confined to the configuration listed in theforegoing embodiments, but it is easily understood that the personskilled in the art can modify such configurations into various othermodes, within the scope of the present invention described in theclaims. The entire disclosures of Japanese Patent Applications No.2004-205497 filed on Jul. 13, 2004 and Japanese Patent Applications No.2004-245180 filed on Aug. 25, 2004 including the specification, claims,drawings and summary are incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

1. A processing apparatus in a tree-type network system that comprisesan inquiry apparatus that sends inquiry information requesting thatreply-result information be sent, and a plurality of processingapparatuses that receive the inquiry information, where the inquiryapparatus is connected to the plurality of processing apparatuses in atree shape via communication paths so that the inquiry apparatus is thehighest and the plurality of processing apparatuses form a plurality oflayers, and the inquiry information that is sent from the inquiryapparatus is successively transferred from the processing apparatuses ina higher order to the processing apparatuses in a lower order, whereinone of the processing apparatuses comprises: aninquiry-information-receiving unit for receiving the inquiry informationthat is sent from another processing apparatus that is connected in ahigher-order layer above the processing apparatus or from the inquiryapparatus; an inquiry-information-transfer unit for transferring thereceived inquiry information to one or more of the other processingapparatuses that are connected in a lower-order layer below theprocessing apparatus; a reply-result-information-receiving unit forreceiving the reply-result information that includes reply informationfor the received inquiry information and that is sent from at least oneor more of the other processing apparatuses that are connected in thelower-order layer; a reply-information-creation unit for the processingapparatus to create its own reply information for the received inquiryinformation; a reply-result-information-creation unit for the processingapparatus to create its own reply-result information based on thereply-result information received by thereply-result-information-receiving unit, and the reply informationcreated by the reply-information-creation unit; areply-result-information-reply unit for sending the created reply-resultinformation to another processing apparatus or inquiry apparatus that isconnected in a higher-order layer and that is a transmission source ofthe inquiry information that was received by theinquiry-information-receiving unit; and a selection unit for selecting aspecified number of items of the reply information from among the replyinformation that is included in the reply-result information that isreceived by the reply-result-information-receiving unit, and the replyinformation that is created by the reply-result-information-creationunit; wherein the reply-result-information-creation unit creates thereply-result information that includes the selected specified number ofitems of the reply information.
 2. The processing apparatus of claim 1,further comprising: a total-number-information-acquisition unit foracquiring a sum of a total number of the other processing apparatusesconnected in the lower-order layer plus ‘1’ as total-number information;and a total-number-information-transmission unit for sending thetotal-number information to the other processing apparatus or theinquiry apparatus that is the transmission source of the receivedinquiry information that was received by theinquiry-information-receiving unit and that is connected in thehigher-order layer; wherein the selection unit selects the specifiednumber of items of the reply information based on the total-numberinformation that was sent from the other processing apparatuses that areconnected in the lower-order layer.
 3. The processing apparatus of claim2, wherein the total-number-information-transmission unit sends thetotal-number information when the reply-result-information-reply unitsends the reply-result information.
 4. The processing apparatus of claim1, further comprising: an end-information-receiving unit for receivingend information from the other processing apparatus or from the inquiryapparatus that is connected in the higher-order layer and that gives aninstruction to end the receiving of answer information to the inquiryinformation; and an answer-information-input-receiving unit forreceiving input of the answer information from when the received inquiryinformation is received by the inquiry-information-receiving unit untilthe end information is received by the end-information-receiving unit;wherein the reply-information-creation unit creates the replyinformation based on an input of the answer information that is receivedby the answer-information-input-receiving unit.
 5. The processingapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a wait-time-setting unit forsetting receiving-wait time for receiving the reply-result informationfrom the other processing apparatuses that are connected in thelower-order layer; wherein the reply-result-information-creation unitcreates the created reply-result information for the processingapparatus based on the reply-result information that was received by thereply-result-information-receiving unit within the receiving-wait time.6. The processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a judgmentunit for determining whether or not the reply information that wascreated by the reply-information-creation unit corresponds to thereceived inquiry information that was received by theinquiry-information-receiving unit; wherein the selection unit removesthe reply information that was created by the reply-information-creationunit as an object of selection when it was determined that the replyinformation does not correspond with the inquiry information, andselects the specified number of items of reply information only from thereply information that is included in reply-result information that wasreceived by the reply-result-information-receiving unit.
 7. A tree-typenetwork system that comprises an inquiry apparatus that sends inquiryinformation requesting that reply-result information be sent, and aplurality of processing apparatuses that receive the inquiryinformation, where the inquiry apparatus is connected to the pluralityof processing apparatuses in a tree shape via communication paths sothat the inquiry apparatus is the highest and the plurality ofprocessing apparatuses form a plurality of layers, and the inquiryinformation that is sent from the inquiry apparatus is successivelytransferred from the processing apparatuses in a higher order to theprocessing apparatuses in a lower order, wherein one of the processingapparatuses comprises: an inquiry-information-receiving unit forreceiving the inquiry information that is sent from another processingapparatus that is connected in a higher-order layer above the processingapparatus or from the inquiry apparatus; an inquiry-information-transferunit for transferring the received inquiry information to the otherprocessing apparatuses that are connected in a lower-order layer belowthe processing apparatus; a reply-result-information-receiving unit forreceiving the reply-result information that includes reply informationfor the received inquiry information and that is sent from the otherprocessing apparatuses that are connected in the lower-order layer; areply-information-creation unit for the processing apparatus to createits own reply information for the received inquiry information; areply-result-information-creation unit for the processing apparatus tocreate its own reply-result information based on the reply-resultinformation received by the reply-result-information-receiving unit, andthe reply information created by the reply-information-creation unit; areply-result-information-reply unit for sending the created reply-resultinformation to another processing apparatus or to the inquiry apparatusthat is connected in a higher-order layer and that is the transmissionsource of the inquiry information that was received by theinquiry-information-receiving unit; and a selection unit for selecting aspecified number of items of the reply information from among the replyinformation that is included in the reply-result information that isreceived by the reply-result-information-receiving unit, and the replyinformation that is created by the reply-result-information-creationunit; wherein the reply-result-information-creation unit creates thereply-result information that includes the selected specified number ofitems of the reply information; and wherein the inquiry apparatuscomprises: an inquiry-information-transmission unit for sending theinquiry information to at least one or more of the processingapparatuses that are connected in a lower-order layer below the inquiryapparatus; and a reply-result-information unit for receiving thereply-result information that is sent from at least one or more of theprocessing apparatuses that are connected in the lower-order layer. 8.The tree-type network system of claim 7, wherein the processingapparatus further comprises: a total-number-information-acquisition unitfor acquiring a sum of a total number of the other processingapparatuses connected in the lower-order layer plus ‘1’ as total-numberinformation; and a total-number-information-transmission unit forsending the total-number information to the other processing apparatusor the inquiry apparatus that is the transmission source of the receivedinquiry information that was received by theinquiry-information-receiving unit and that is connected in thehigher-order layer; and wherein the selection unit selects the specifiednumber of items of the reply information based on the total-numberinformation that was sent from the other processing apparatuses that areconnected in the lower-order layer.
 9. A computer storage medium storinga computer program for a computer that is contained in a processingapparatus in a tree-type network system that comprises an inquiryapparatus that sends inquiry information requesting that reply-resultinformation be sent, and a plurality of processing apparatuses thatreceive the inquiry information, where the inquiry apparatus isconnected to the plurality of processing apparatuses in a tree shape viacommunication paths so that the inquiry apparatus is the highest and theplurality of processing apparatuses form a plurality of layers, and theinquiry information that is sent from the inquiry apparatus issuccessively transferred from the processing apparatuses in a higherorder to the processing apparatuses in a lower order, wherein theprogram makes the computer of the processing apparatuses function as: aninquiry-information-receiving unit for receiving the inquiry informationthat is sent from another processing apparatus that is connected in ahigher-order layer above the processing apparatus or from the inquiryapparatus; an inquiry-information-transfer unit for transferring thereceived inquiry information to one or more of the other processingapparatuses that are connected in a lower-order layer below theprocessing apparatus; a reply-result-information-receiving unit forreceiving the reply-result information that includes reply informationfor the received inquiry information and that is sent from at least oneor more of the other processing apparatuses that are connected in thelower-order layer; a reply-information-creation unit for the processingapparatus to create its own reply information for the received inquiryinformation; a reply-result-information-creation unit for the processingapparatus to create its own reply-result information based on thereply-result information received by thereply-result-information-receiving unit, and the reply informationcreated by the reply-information-creation unit; areply-result-information-reply unit for sending the created reply-resultinformation to another processing apparatus or inquiry apparatus that isconnected in a higher-order layer and that is the transmission source ofthe inquiry information that was received by theinquiry-information-receiving unit; and a selection unit for selecting aspecified number of items of the reply information from among the replyinformation that is included in the reply-result information that isreceived by the reply-result-information-receiving unit, and the replyinformation that is created by the reply-result-information-creationunit; wherein the reply-result-information-creation unit creates thereply-result information that includes the selected specified number ofitems of the reply information.
 10. The medium of claim 9 that furthermakes the computer function as: a total-number-information-acquisitionunit for acquiring a sum of a total number of the other processingapparatuses connected in the lower-order layer plus ‘1’ as total-numberinformation: and a total-number-information-transmission unit forsending the total-number information to the other processing apparatusor the inquiry apparatus that is the transmission source of inquiryinformation that was received by the inquiry-information-receiving unitand that is connected in the higher-order layer; wherein the selectionunit select the specified number of items of the reply information basedon the total-number information that was sent from the other processingapparatuses that are connected in the lower-order layer.